Link of the Week – The Raven

For your spooky listening pleasure…Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” as read by James Earl Jones. *shivers*

Link of the Week – Arm Wrestling

This is just pure fun and a great way for you (or, for authors, your characters) to get the upper hand. Pun intended. Here is yet another gem from The Art of Manliness – how to win at arm wrestling. Check it out!

How to Win an Arm Wrestling Match

Link of the Week – Opening a Coconut

For when you are stranded on a deserted island. Or just want fresh coconut. Another great how-to from The Art of Manliness.

How to Open a Coconut (With or Without Tools)

Link of the Week – Easy Peasy Burglar Alarm

Here is another great tip from the Art of Manliness. A super simple, super cheap, and effective burglar alarm. Great research for writers and practical advice for all.

A Professional Bodyguard’s DIY Portable Burglar Alarm

Link of the Week – The Righteous Side of Wicked 2019 RONE Awards

This week’s Link of the Week I’m asking for a favor. If you feel so inclined, I would love to have your vote in the 2019 InD’tale RONE awards. The Righteous Side of Wicked was reviewed by InD’tale earlier this year and given 5 stars (hell yeah!).  Read the awesome review HERE. Because of the high rating, the book was automatically entered in the RONE contest. It would be great to have your support. You do have to register to vote if you don’t have an account with the magazine. But it’s super easy to do and you won’t get spammed.

I am in the Historical Scottish category. It is a large category and competition is tough, but you can vote for several of your favorite books. VOTING ENDS SUNDAY!

https://www.indtale.com/polls/historical-scottish-2019-5-finalists

Thanks in advance should you decide to vote. I will forever be grateful! *sloppy smooches*

Link of the Week – Take That!

More great information from The Art of Manliness. This is awesome for self-defense and, of course, authors looking to get their characters on the winning end of a nasty fight.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-best-places-to-hit-an-assailant

 

 

Link of the Week – Epigrams, Words to Live By

Words of wisdom have trickled through the centuries. From societal influencers to our own family members, we are given guidance on how to become better people. Axioms and advice ranging from success, failure, money, adversity, opportunity, morality, expectations, happiness, and so much more offer valuable life lessons. All we need to do is listen and heed the principles.

This week’s link is to another pearl of an article by The Art of Manliness presenting some of the best epigrams throughout the ages.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/21-best-epigrams/

 

Link of the Week – Court Sides with Oxford Comma

In the debate on whether or not the Oxford comma is necessary, I say it is. (And will cut you if you disagree. Ok, not really.)

So what is the fuss about? The Oxford comma is the comma used before the coordinating conjunction “and” or “or” in a list of three or more items. It is a stylistic serial comma.

In a 2017 class action lawsuit involving diary drivers, labor disputes, and the Oxford comma (see what I did there?), a Maine court recently ruled in favor of the comma. Read all about it at The Write Life blog. Yes, this happened a couple of years ago, but it illustrates the comma’s important.

https://thewritelife.com/is-the-oxford-comma-necessary

Link of the Week – Plagiarism

So…plagiarism… It sucks on so many levels. Most in Romancelandia are very aware of the latest scandal—an “author” who has lifted whole paragraphs from other authors’ works, had them cobbled together, packaged into her “own” books and put up for sale on Amazon. And of course, once her dirty little secret was exposed, she blamed others and disappeared. Today’s link of the week will get you up to speed in what originally happened and what small ways we can help prevent this from happening.

Where it broke: Courtney Milan

http://www.courtneymilan.com/ramblings/2019/02/18/cristiane-serruya-is-a-copyright-infringer-a-plagiarist-and-an-idiot/

Nora Robert’s weigh-in

http://fallintothestory.com/not-a-rant-but-a-promise/

Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood Perspective

https://www.rubyslipperedsisterhood.com/so-weve-gotta-talk-about-this-plagiarism-thing/

 

Here is a link to a site that checks for plagiarism and helps prevent theft and fraud. I haven’t used them yet, but I plan to.

https://www.copyscape.com/

 

 

There is also Fakespot, which “will ensure you get the most up to date and relevant information to make your online shopping experience as safe and trustworthy as possible.” This will help in culling out the fake from real products.

https://www.fakespot.com/about

Sad that people continue to profit off of others’ blood, sweat and tears (lots of tears) to make a quick buck.

Link of the Week – Ancient Earth

Check this out! An interactive map of the Earth that shows you what it looked like 20 to 750 millions of years ago. It gives information on the state of the Earth and what living things existed in selected time periods. You can even type in your address or location to see what the geographical area looked like as you travel back in time. Pretty cool and nerdy stuff.

http://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#0